: Microbiologist Prevents Stubble Burning on 30000 Acres of Land Using Microbes #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture Since 2005, Kan Biosys has worked with millions of farmers to make the organic switch and encourage

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Microbiologist Prevents Stubble Burning on 30000 Acres of Land Using Microbes #IndiaNEWS #Agriculture
Since 2005, Kan Biosys has worked with millions of farmers to make the organic switch and encourage the use of natural methods to reverse the damage caused by the massive use of toxic chemicals in farming.
As over 50 per cent of India’s agricultural land is degraded, thanks to the exploitative use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides in farmi​​ng, reports from the 2019-20 soil health survey show about 55 per cent of India’s soil has a deficiency of nitrogen, has 42 per cent less phosphorus and 44 per cent less organic carbon.
However, the Pune-based startup has spent 30 years improving the condition of agricultural land.
Microbes To The Rescue
Farmer with Papaya plantation.
Sandeepa Kanitkar, a Pune-based microbiologist and founder of Kan Biosys says that the initiative started after her graduation in 1990 when she was considering pursuing her higher studies in the USA.
She aimed to work towards developing new microbes that would help in agriculture and other aspects of businesses. But Professor UK Kanitkar, her mentor, suggested she work in the agricultural field and directly impact the beneficiaries.
“The professor had a small lab in his home and showed 2,000 microbes that could potentially be used to create agricultural products and benefit the farmers,� she tells The Better India.
Though an interesting proposition, the concept itself posed a challenge. “Farmers were widely using chemical fertilisers and pesticides. So, giving up on the same for increasing productivity of crops during the 90s was a difficult thought to digest,� she says.
But there was also an opportunity. Sandeepa says that it was at that time that reports of the degrading agricultural soil started surfacing. “The problem arose due to excessive or misuse of the chemical fertilisers and pesticides,� she says.
Banking on the opportunity, she decided to take up the challenge.
“After researching and testing for the next couple of years, we conceived our first organic product in 1993. It was a liquid biofertilizer that could help increase production. However, there were not many buyers, and the acceptance of the product became unfeasible. Hence, the company identified farmers in Australia and the USA to sell to,� she says.
The 53-year-old adds that simultaneously the company approached sugar factories and sugarcane farmers to create a distribution channel and establish a potential market in Maharashtra.
“Working closely with farmers for years, we realised that farmers also faced issues of pests and preparing quality soil for cultivation. Moreover, the product was used mainly by educated, financially stable farmers exporting farm produce.

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